Wagon-gear.



Patented May l3, I902.

G. H. PERRY. WAGDN- GEAR.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1901.)

(No Model.)

I ganja! Hi1 asses llNTTnn STATns PATENT @rr'rcs,

GEORGE H. PERRY, OF FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE.

WAGON-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,705, dated May 13,1902.

Application filed August 8, 1901.. Serial No. 71,352. (No model.)

To all whom 2125 may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. PERRY, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residin g at Franklin, in the count-y of Williamson and State ofTennessee, have invented a new and useful Wagon-Gear, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wagon-gear.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofwagon-gear, more especially the means for attaching the'draftanimals,and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient devicedesigned to be substituted for an ordinary doubletree and capable ofenabling the draft-animals to handle a load more effectually and ofpreventing, to a great extent, the whipping action of a tongue and ofrelieving the draft-animals of the jars and strains incident to startinga heavy load and to drawing the same over a rough roadway.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which will prevent the stronger animal of a team from drawingthe weaker backward upon the load to a disadvantageous position.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a running-gearprovided with a device constructed in accordance with this invention.Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the whiffletree or doubletree.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings;

l designates a doubletree or whiffletree composed of central and sidesections 2 and 3 and pivotally mounted on a tongue 4 by a vertical boltor pin 5 similarto an ordinary doubletree. The whiffletree ordoubletree, which is adapted to be substituted for an ordinary doubletree, is connected at its ends with singletrees 6 of the ordinaryconstruction, and the adjacent ends of the central and side sections arerounded, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and are connected by upper andlower plates 7 and 8. The plates 7 and S, which connect the central andside sections of the doubletree or whiflie tree, are preferably securedby bolts or other suitable fastening devices rigidly to the side or endsections and are pivoted to the ends of the central section by bolts 9or other suitable fastening devices. The central section is adapted toswing on the central pivot 5, and the end sections 3 are adapted toswing independently of each other on the pivots 9.

The side or end sections of the whiflietree are connected with the frontaxle 10 by staychains 11, which may be of the ordinary construction, butwhich are preferably provided with cushioning-springs 12 to relieve thedraft-animals of strain incident to starting a wagon or other vehicleand also to drawing the same over a rough roadway, and the said cushioning-springs are also adapted to relieve the occupants of the vehicleand the latter of strain. Furthermore, the cushioning-springs will avoidmuch wear and tear on the parts, and will thereby enable the same tolast fora longer time, and they will also permit one of thedraft-animals to move forward in advance of the other without drawingtherear animal backward against the vehicle. The load will thus bedistributed between the animals, and as the chains are connected to thefront axle the draft-animals will have a greater control of the load,and the tongue to a great extent will be prevented from whipping againstthe animals. The front ends of the chains are connected by suitableclevises 13 with the end sections 3 of the doubletree, and these clev=ises, which are approximately U -shaped, may be of any desiredconstruction and are perfo rated'for the reception of bolts or othersuitable pivots. The side or end sections 3 of the whiffletree are alsoprovided with end clevises 14:, constructed like those heretoforedescribed and extending in advance of the whiffletree and having thesingletrees connected to them by rings 15 or any other suitable devices.

It will be seen that the end sections of the whiffletree are capable ofmovement independently of each other and are connected with the frontaxle, so that each horse or other animalpulls directly against the loadand is not interfered with by the backward and forward movement of theother animal. apparent that the device is adapted to be substituted foran ordinary doubletree, and that It will also be the improvedwhiffletree is adapted to swing on the tongue similar to the ordinarydoubletree, and that it possesses all the advantages of the same.Furthermore, it will be clear that the draft-animals harness and thevehicle will be relieved of strain and that the tongue will in a greatmeasure be prevented from whipping against the said animals.

The device may also be employed to advantage on a plow or otherimplement, and when applied to a plow the independent flexibleconnections may be connected with the sides of the plow-beam in anysuitable manner.

What I claim is The combination with a running-gear, of a doubletreecomposed of a centrally-pivoted central section extending from oppositesides of the tongue, and the independently-movable end sectionspivotally connected to the ends of the central section and capable ofmoving backward and forward simultaneously to permit both horses to movebackward and forward simultaneously to points in advance and in rear ofthe pivotal point of the central section in pulling and backing, and thestay-chains connecting the end sections of the doubletree with therunning-gear and provided with cushioning-springs and adapted to permitsuch independent movement of the said end sections, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. PERRY.

\Vitnesses:

WM. A. PASCHALL, H. S. REYNOLDS.

